This review contains spoilers
This visual novel is about a small Tamil family that moved to Canada in the 1980s to have a fresh start from their life in India. With this decision, they begin struggling to find work. The husband, Paavalan tries to find work with his degree, but is left working sales positions that he doens't see much progression with as he is still adapting to English. His wife, Venba, is a teacher who misses her energetic classes in India as the ones she attempts to teach in Canada do not have the same enthusiasm for learning. She attempts to get a secondary teaching job, but is rejected everytime she applys. However, in this time of hardship, the family is gifted with a baby boy, Kavin who gives them motivation to continue in their new home.
Over the years, Venba cooks Tamil food from a recipe book that her mother left her when she moved away so that she doesn't forget her culture and roots. While damaged, Venba remembers processes via memories of her mother and sketches made in the cookbook that allow her to share this love of food with her young son, Kavin who has acclimated more to the Canadian culture around him and less to his own. This is where the gameplay comes in as Venba cooks various meals for her family using her mother's cookbook and fills in the blanks for the pages that are damaged. The game provides hints and lots of context for how these meals are made and allows you to fail if done incorrectly so you can learn from your mistakes.
The detail and color of the food is appatising and made me hungry multiple times. Having tried a few Indian dishes in the past, I found myself wanting to try Tamil cuisine as some of the foods I had never seen or heard of before. The level of information provided in the cooking portions of this game are just short of being full recipes to cook yourself. While cooking, a great energetic soundtrack helps immerse the player in the environment of this family's home and provides more backstory to the emotions of a family that is afraid of their son's lack of interest in their culture.
While short, the game overall was enjoyable and something that I would suggest to fans of the visual novel genre of games. I replayed it a second time to clean up achievements and found it just as enjoyable a second time. The game does not require much time at all, but is a good story to experience if you want a change from your usual interests.
Over the years, Venba cooks Tamil food from a recipe book that her mother left her when she moved away so that she doesn't forget her culture and roots. While damaged, Venba remembers processes via memories of her mother and sketches made in the cookbook that allow her to share this love of food with her young son, Kavin who has acclimated more to the Canadian culture around him and less to his own. This is where the gameplay comes in as Venba cooks various meals for her family using her mother's cookbook and fills in the blanks for the pages that are damaged. The game provides hints and lots of context for how these meals are made and allows you to fail if done incorrectly so you can learn from your mistakes.
The detail and color of the food is appatising and made me hungry multiple times. Having tried a few Indian dishes in the past, I found myself wanting to try Tamil cuisine as some of the foods I had never seen or heard of before. The level of information provided in the cooking portions of this game are just short of being full recipes to cook yourself. While cooking, a great energetic soundtrack helps immerse the player in the environment of this family's home and provides more backstory to the emotions of a family that is afraid of their son's lack of interest in their culture.
While short, the game overall was enjoyable and something that I would suggest to fans of the visual novel genre of games. I replayed it a second time to clean up achievements and found it just as enjoyable a second time. The game does not require much time at all, but is a good story to experience if you want a change from your usual interests.